Back in the latter 1970s I worked with a CAD/CAM/GIS
company. We used to sell, as part of our systems, specialized
plotters supplied by a company called Ahearn & Soper. Little
did I know that one of the founders of A&S had such a glorious
history and that he and his company had played a pivotal role not only
in the daily lives of the residents of Ottawa but also in the lives of
all Canadians.
June 24, 1855 was just another day for most people in the Labreton
Flats area of Ottawa. People generally went about their
business. The Flats were a vibrant part of the growing town.
From within the household of John and Honora Power Ahearn, of
Labreton Flats, the day was anything from routine. The cry of a
newborn child was heard. The world welcomed Thomas Ahearn.
Within not too many years the world was thanking John and Honora for
their wonderful gift.
At the age of 15, Ahearn joined the JR Booth company to learn about
the field of telegraphy. His starting wage was zero, as Ahearn had
volunteered to work for free, just so he could learn.
He learned his lesson very well. By 1877, after reading an
article in Scientific American concerning Alexander Graham Bell's
pioneering effort to develop a telephone system, Ahearn slapped together
two cigar boxes, a series of magnets and wire and, using existing telegraph lines,
built the first long distance telephone routing from Ottawa to Pembroke.
In order to settle a $16 hotel bill in Ottawa, Ahearn traded his cigar
box phone. Ahearn's foray into the telephony business did not go
unnoticed by Bell which offered Ahearn the role of manager of the Ottawa
office of Bell Telegraphone Company. He bounced around the telegraphic
industry for a number of years picking up more experience and
contacts. One of his new friends was Warren Soper who was the
manager of Dominion Telegraph in Ottawa. In 1881, Ahearn and Soper
both resigned their respective positions to form a new electrical
contracting company called Ahearn & Soper. Ahearn's firsts where
many and varied:
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In 1882 Ahearn installed 65 arc street lamps, thus introducing electric light to Ottawa.
His Ottawa Electric Light Company built a small waterwheel at Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River to supply power for
the street lighting. This is possibly the first hydraulic generator in Canada.
In 1887, for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Ahearn and Soper were contracted to illuminate the Parliament Buildings with thousands of electric lights.
This practice continues to this date around Christmas.
In 1891, he introduced the first electric streetcar into Canada at
Ottawa. He built the first electric powered hot-water heating for the cars in the
winter. He also invented a rotating brush sweeper to clear the
track of snow and argued to get Sunday service for the
streetcars. (image below from Ottawa Archives)
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In 1892 he cooked up a mess of Saginaw Trout with Potato Croquettes and Sauce Tartare
for his friends and family, thus becoming the first person in the world to
cook with electricity.
In 1899, Ahearn was the first person to drive a small electric automobile in Ottawa.
In 1927, Ahearn, with Prime Minister Mackenzie King and Justice Minister Ernest
Lapointe, made the first transatlantic telephone call to Britain.
In 1932, he was appointed as chairman of the Broadcasting Committee for the Diamond Jubilee of Confederation.
One of his tasks was to produce a coast-to-coast radio broadcast of the festivities on Parliament Hill.
For this, Ahearn built the 32,000 kilometres of wire needed to connect the country from east to west. Governor-General Lord Willingdon said
that this "had done more to create a national spirit in Canada than any other movement."
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Thomas Ahearn died in 1938. He was truly a man with a vision for
his country and for the world.
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